Written by Gabreila Patram
POLICE are hunting Andre Kilkelly for fraud allegedly committed under the pretext of being a tour operator.
Yesterday, Mr. Cosmos De Santos visited the Guyana Chronicle to relate a recent experience he and his family had with Kilkelly. He said that on September 3, 2013, two of his very good friends — Agita and Vinod Khandria — visited Guyana to celebrate his sister Jenny De Santos’s 60th birthday. This was Agita’s second visit, and her husband’s first.

On September 9, 2013, the Khandrias visited the Iwokrama office, located on High Street, Kingston, to sign up for a Safari tour, and the couple began inquiring about a tour to Kaieteur Falls. It so happened that Kilkelly was in the building at the same time, and overheard the inquiries they were making.

The Iwokrama agent dealing with the Khandrias — one Kathleyn — introduced the Khandrias to Kilkelly as someone who did tours and after chatting with Kilkelly, the couple paid him $317 pounds to take them to see the Kaieteur Falls and Baganara Island Resort on September 19 and 20 respectively. That was on September 9, 2013.
De Santos said that on September 19, Kilkelly called the couple and told them bad weather was prevailing in Region 8, and he would not be able to travel until the following morning, to which the couple assented.

On September 20, Kilkelly picked up the couple from where they were staying and took them to the Ogle Airport. He parked the vehicle, went inside the office, and returned minutes later to tell the couple that bad weather still prevailed in Region 8, and the trip would have to be cancelled.
The Khandrias asked for a refund of their money, but Kilkelly told them he would drop them back at the hotel where they were staying then proceed to the office to retrieve their money and bring it back to them.
Kilkelly never returned with the money. The couple was leaving Guyana on September 21, and they called to ask him for their money, but he asked them if he could post it to them in England. “They replied ‘no, we gave you the money here and we want it back here’,” De Santos said. Unfortunately, the couple left Guyana without retrieving their money.
According to Cosmos De Santos, when he visited the Falls View Tours at Plaza Hotel at 45 Main Street, Georgetown to inquire if Kilkelly was at the hotel, other persons were there inquiring about him because he owed them money for tours he had set up for them.
This publication contacted the Fraud Section of the Brickdam Police Station to inquire about the status of the matter because reports had been made there.
Officer Elias related that the police are presently on the hunt for Kilkelly even as they investigate the matter.